


Opening Detected

by SerMisty



Series: PolyPearls [15]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Blue Pearl is mute, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I hope something good came out of it, Multi, White Pearl Theory, let's angst up Yellow like I didn't angst her up enough oops, this is a mess tbh but I wrote and rewrote this at 2am for like five nights because homework
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:26:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6738199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerMisty/pseuds/SerMisty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If fighting her hologram will show Pearl that she's not useless, Yellow will do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opening Detected

**Author's Note:**

> [anonymous asked:  
> Aaah i just read practically almost all of your fics on ao3 and ive been following for a while and i just mustered up the courage to ask if you accept requests? Can u do polypearls, one of their gems get cracked and healing spit and fluff ensues] 
> 
> [anonymous asked:  
> Pearl teaching Blue Pearl and Yellow Pearl to swordfight!] 
> 
> I put two prompts together for this one, and I followed only slightly both of them. Oops. Sorry. Not very much teaching for anon 2, and less fluff than maybe was expected for anon 1. I hope you like it anyway, and thank you!

Pearl supposes that Yellow’s stubbornness, this time, comes from her poor skills with the sword. Blue has a true talent for it and Pearl has spent years practicing, so it was predictable that Yellow would have been behind them – still, swordfighting doesn’t seem to be something in her chords at all. 

And Yellow clearly hates it. 

«No means no, Yellow».  
«But if I say that I can do it!»  
«And I say you can’t».  
«Who do you think you are, my owner?»  
«I’m being objective».  
«You just don’t want me to get better!» 

Blue puts herself between Yellow and Pearl before the two can say anything else. She moves her hands up and down, trying to calm them, but it doesn’t have the effect she’s hoping for.  
Yellow turns around and crosses her arms, muttering something inaudible but surely very unkind under her breath.  
Pearl huffs. 

«There have been too many accidents with my Holo-Pearl» she affirms. «It’s too dangerous for you».  
«You let Blue train with it!» Yellow retorts, Blue puts one hand on her shoulder before she can jump forward. «You even let that little human girl train with it!»  
«Blue and Connie are more skilled than you».  
«So you’re saying I’m worthless?»  
«I’m _clearly_ not saying that».  
«How am I supposed to get better if you don’t let me train?!»  
«You can start by calming down!» 

Blue has literally to push them away from each other, signing them to stay and not to move. She massages her ears – she hates all that loud talking, talking, _screaming_ – and then holds her own hands together, shaking them. She smiles tentatively.  
Yellow snarls. 

«I’ll calm down if she lets me train» she offers.  
«Not with the Holo-Pearl» Pearl is inflexible.  
«Then I’m not training at all!» 

Yellow throws on the ground the sword she’s holding and walks away, shoving Pearl aside with a shoulder as she goes. She climbs back the tribunes of the arena and sits on the outer circle, arms crossed.  
Pearl shoots her a cold stare and takes Blue by the hand. Her gem shines, and her hologram appears in front of them.  
Holo-Pearl glares at them with empty eyes, holding a sword. 

«Do you wish to engage in combat?» its mechanical voice asks. 

Yellow’s growl from the tribunes expands all around.  
Blue holds her own spear – because she, too, can summon her weapon; Yellow cannot, and she has tried, and she _hates_ it – and looks at Pearl, searching for a sign. She’s clearly uncomfortable, after their discussion.  
Pearl crosses her arms, stays upright. Her eyes are hard and looking at something that isn’t there. 

«She’s got to learn» she murmurs. Blue is not sure she’s talking to her. «She’s got to learn her limits». 

Blue still looks hesitant, she bites her lip, but then Pearl steps back and the hologram moves forward and she puts herself in position. 

«Initiating: Advance Mode» Holo-Pearl declares, its eyes turning red. «Commencing duel». 

Blue keeps up with it wonderfully. Pearl watches her fighting, commenting only rarely and on little things. Blue defeats the hologram twice, three times and more until Pearl stops her. 

«I think that’s enough for today» she declares, putting one hand on her shoulder.  
Blue smiles wide, slightly blushing, but Yellow’s voice makes them both turn around before she can lean to kiss her cheek.

«Yeah, because it only matters what _you_ think, doesn’t it?» 

Pearl snarls, stepping forward to face the tribunes. 

«I’m just trying to avoid that you get hurt!» she yells back.  
«No, you’re just trying to leave me behind!»  
«I’m not – ugh!» Pearl stomps on the ground, her fists trembling. «No. No, you know what? Fine. Come Blue, we’re going». 

Blue bites her lip again, raises one finger, but Pearl is already striding towards the stairs and she can’t do anything else but make her spear vanish and follow her. She tries to get her attention by pulling her arm, but Pearl doesn’t respond. Blue withdraws her hand.  
Pearl stops when they reach Yellow. 

«Are you coming?» she asks. 

Yellow looks away with a shrug.  
Not that Pearl is actually looking at her, anyway.  
Blue sighs. 

«Fine. You’re free to warp back by yourself. Blue, let’s go». 

Blue tilts her head and gives Yellow a pleading stare, but the other doesn’t react. With a sigh, Blue follows Pearl on the warp and disappears with her. 

 

Yellow isn’t sure of how much time she spends sitting on the tribunes, frowning, repeating the discussion with Pearl over and over in her head.  
Everything’s silence around her. She doesn’t like it very much.  
But why must White be so obstinate? 

_(Just like her)_.

When Yellow finally gets up – and it’s not to go back, it’s just because her legs are starting to feel numb – her eyes look down at the base of the arena and she _sees it_. 

Pearl has left with such hurry, that she has forgotten to make the Holo-Pearl disappear. It stands in the middle of the arena, sword in one hand, empty eyes, and faces her direction. 

«Do you wish to engage in combat?» it wonders. 

Yellow doesn’t move.  
She stays immobile for a while, completely still, looking at the hologram’s dull face and thinking that she _hates_ it, because it reminds her of Pearl and of the things she said and that she believes. 

And then she walks down the stairs. 

Her steps are slow but constant. She reaches the arena and keeps walking, Holo-Pearl doesn’t even blink. 

(Of course she doesn’t. That’s not White). 

Her sword lies forgotten on the floor. Yellow goes to retrieve it. 

«Do you wish to engage in combat?» Holo-Pearl asks again when she passes near. 

Yellow is still not completely sure. 

She kneels down on her sword, finding her fingers shaking when they close around the handle.  
But it can’t be so difficult, right? Blue defeats it without hesitations.  
She’s going to show her. She’s going to prove what she can really do. 

Yellow turns around, holding her sword.  
Holo-Pearl’s eyes have a twitch. 

«Commencing duel». 

Its eyes turn red. 

 

***

 

When Steven and Connie enter, they find Blue and Pearl arguing. It’s a surprise, because Pearl rarely argues with Blue. 

«I’m not going to ask her sorry!»  
Blue points at her, at the warp, then crosses her arms. She’s frowning.  
«No. She needs to understand that she can’t have everything. I’m doing this for her own good! She should be the one to apologize!»  
Blue nods, her brow softens. She points at Pearl again, joins her hands together, and moves them towards the warp.  
«Why should I do the first step?!»  
«Uh… Guys, what’s going on?» 

Both Blue and Pearl jump when Steven cautiously makes them notice their presence. Connie stands next to him, dressed in her fighting suit.  
Pearl, cheeks flushed, scratches the back of her head and looks away. 

«Nothing, Steven» she dismisses. «Nothing important».  
«But-»  
«Did you need something?» 

Steven and Connie look at each other, confused. 

«Today I have my training lesson» Connie hesitantly reminds her. 

Pearl’s eyes widens. 

«Oh, of course» she turns around, her hands join together as she rubs the back of her thumb. «But, you see… I have already trained Blue today, and I really, really am tired, and-» 

But Blue doesn’t miss the opportunity. She smiles, excited and adorable and _mischievous_ , grabs Connie with one hand and Pearl with the other and drags them both on the warp. Steven follows, confused but curious. 

«Wait!» Pearl complains. «I said-» 

Blue pats Steven’s shoulder and the boy warps them away. When they reappear in the sky arena with a flash of light, Pearl has her arms crossed and shoots at Blue a rebuke with her eyes. Blue keeps smiling, sweet and innocent. She has won again. 

«Hey, is someone else training?» Steven asks. 

Pearl walks down the warp, followed by Blue, and moves towards him and Connie, who are already on the stairs. 

«No» she answers. «Why?»  
«I hear someone fighting».  
«I don’t-» 

But then she hears it too. 

Everyone hears it. Not the sound of two swords collapsing one against each other, but an high pitched scream of fear and pain that sends shivers down Pearl’s spine.  
Her pupils dwindle. 

«Yellow». 

Pearl runs up the stairs, surpassing the two confused kids, and reaches the arena. Blue is next to her immediately after.  
Pearl scans the area in half a second. She sees the sword, Holo-Pearl, Yellow on the ground.  
She doesn’t run down the stairs. She jumps. One big single jump, summoning her spear while she flies in the air, to land in the middle of the arena. 

Yellow recedes by crawling on her elbows, panting heavily. In front of her, Holo-Pearl’s eyes are empty and red as it raises its sword. 

«Opening detected» it says. 

Yellow’s elbows hurt. A lot of her body hurts. She closes her eyes.  
But the hit never comes. Holo-Pearl’s sword falls on the ground with a clash, and when Yellow opens one eye to see, she discovers Pearl’s spear thrusted right through the hologram’s chest.  
Holo-Pearl’s eyes turn wide and blue. 

«Challenger wins» it declares, before disappearing in a flash. 

Yellow is not entirely sure of what has happened. She blinks, confused, and then all of sudden Pearl is kneeled next to her and the first thing she thinks about is covering her chest with one hand. 

«Are you okay?» Pearl inspects her quickly, her tone is cold and methodical but dripping with fear. «Did it hurt you?»  
Blue comes running, followed by Steven and Connie. She kneels on Yellow’s other side and checks her with the same anxiety Pearl’s eyes show.  
Yellow gulps. 

«I’m fine» she says, but she hasn’t even closed her mouth that her body twitches, far worse than a shiver, Blue’s hand on her shoulder jerks back. 

Pearl frowns. 

«Let me see your gem».  
«I’m fine, really».  
«Let me see it».  
«I said no, leave me alone!» 

But Blue grabs her wrist and pulls her hand away, her movement is firm but her touch is gentle and Yellow wonders how does she do it.  
Pearl gasps. 

«You’re cracked!» she exclaims. «Your gem is cracked!»  
«No it’s not!» Yellow replies, jerking her hand away and going back to cover her gem, and mostly the crack that crosses it. It’s the last desperate gesture of a guilty party. 

Pearl is about to yell at her, but Steven intervenes before she can say anything. 

«Maybe I can help?» he offers. «I can try and heal her with my powers». 

Both Blue and Yellow stare at him in surprise. Pearl turns around, and her eyes are a mix of so many feelings – fear and hope and relief and melancholy. 

«Yes» she whispers. «Please».  
«Of course! Just give me a second». 

He punches his chest a couple of times, he coughs.  
Yellow frowns. 

«Healing powers?» she wonders, a twitch catches her in the middle of the sentence and she shivers against Blue’s palm on her back.  
«Steven has healing spit!» Connie explains.  
«Healing _what_?!» 

Steven, in the meantime, has licked his hand and is scratching the back of his head with the other. 

«Yeah, it’s a bit weird» he admits. «But it works!»  
«Oh, no. No, you’re not putting that anywhere near m-!» 

It’s not a twitch that interrupts her this time, it’s Pearl that tugs away her hand from her chest and leaves free road for Steven to smash his palm on Yellow’s gem.  
Yellow lets go of a high pitched screech of disgust – it’s cold and sticky and isn’t White supposed to be the hygienic one? – but when Steven draws back his hand with a satisfied smile on his face, she looks down at her gem before even realizing that it doesn’t hurt anymore. 

Blue smiles wide, joining her hands in a cheerful motion. Pearl sighs with relief.  
The crack is nowhere to be seen. 

«I’m» Yellow murmurs, and brushes her gem with two fingers, «fine?»  
«Cool, right?» Steven smiles. «It’s like always having a doctor around!»  
«And you don’t even need a nasty medicine» Connie adds in a laugh. 

Yellow, now engulfed in Blue’s relieved hug, is about to comment that all of this is already nasty enough, but once again Pearl interrupts her and this time is harsh and severe. 

«What in the world were you thinking?!»  
«Oh, here it comes» Yellow rolls her eyes, huffs.  
«Don’t roll your eyes at me! What about the word “no” is so difficult for you to comprehend?!» 

Their voices quickly increase in volume. Blue gets up and gently pushes Connie and Steven away, signing them to wait somewhere else.  
«But I wanted to hear!» Steven complains. Blue shakes her head, pushes them a little bit harder, and the kids give up. As they walk to the opposite side of the arena, looking over their shoulders from time to time, Blue runs back to Yellow and Pearl and kneels in between, separating them. 

Pearl gets up, almost growling. 

«When I told you that my hologram was too dangerous for you, I was serious!» she exclaims. «Do you think this is a game? Why did you challenge it?»  
«Why do you care?» Yellow retorts, still sitting on the ground, Blue keeps one arm in front of her to prevent her from getting up and jumping against Pearl. «It’s none of your business!»  
«It’s completely my business! What would have happened if we had arrived even a minute later? Didn’t you realize how dangerous it was?»  
«Alright, fine, I was wrong. Are you satisfied now?»  
«No! Tell me why you challenged it!»  
«Leave me alone!»  
«Tell me!»  
« _Because you think I can’t do anything!_ » 

A thick, heavy silence falls on the arena after that, so heavy that if Steven and Connie were whispering to each other – and not so obviously spying them from behind a pillar – they could have easily been heard.  
Pearl’s mouth stays open in surprise, her brow disappears. Yellow looks away, crossing her arms, hiding glossy eyes. Blue turns her head from her to Pearl, equally startled. 

«You think I can’t do anything» Yellow repeats, «and I wanted to prove you otherwise». 

It’s silence again, if Yellow’s whisper is even considered enough to break it. Blue understands the shock and feels it too, but after a solid minute she turns to Pearl and points at Yellow with a nod, inciting her to talk. 

«I don’t think you can’t do anything» Pearl says.  
«Yeah, sure» Yellow spits. Blue bites her lip.  
«I could never think something like that. Yellow, you know me, I-»  
« _Do I_?» she turns around, Blue is ready to stop her but she doesn’t seem to have any intention of getting up. «I know White, I know the gem that muttered things against the Diamonds under her breath and that helped me organize the files in Yellow Diamond’s archives, not _this_! I don’t know you, with all your responsibilities and your idea that swordfighting is the only way to show how good you are, something I will never be able to do!»  
«Yellow!» Pearl almost squeals. There is no offense, no rebuke – only pure and simple disbelief. 

Yellow turns around again. Blue bites her lip and looks away, the hand on her shoulder tensing.  
There’s an heavy sigh that comes from Pearl and then she kneels down. She tilts her head, rubbing her arm. 

«I’m sorry» she says. «I know that we’ve been separated for _so_ long, I know that all this time has changed me, has changed you, but… But I’m still me, Yellow. And I’m sorry if I made you feel like you _had_ to learn to fight. You don’t. You can stay behind while we-»  
«This is exactly what I don’t want to do!» Yellow snaps, Pearl jumps and puts one hand on the ground not to lose balance. «I don’t want to be so useless that I have to stay behind, but I can’t do it! I can’t fight as well as you two! I’m trying, but I can’t, and when you refused to let me train, it seemed that you had just given up! That you knew that I couldn’t be useful to anything!» 

Yellow’s eyes are burning with tears that she refuses to let fall down. Pearl breathes, her chest hurts.  
Blue awaits, nervous. 

«I never meant that» Pearl murmurs. «I swear. The last thing I wanted was making you feel like you weren’t – stars, I can’t even say it – _useful_. I was just worried for you. And I don’t care that you can’t fight – not that you _can’t_ fight, I – what I mean is-»  
«You can be just like me and Connie!» 

The two kids appear from behind the pillar, worried, intentioned to help. They turn around to look at them. Steven’s eyes are full of determination. 

«We are completely different when we fight!» he continues.  
«Yeah!» Connie agrees. «I may not be strong as a gem…»  
«And I may not be as good as her with the sword…»  
«But together, we are the perfect team! We cover for each other and we are both equal, and strong, and useful!» 

«We are Jam Buds!» they say together. 

Blue tilts her head, slightly confused, but then slowly nods and smiles as their words start to make sense in her mind. Yellow looks away, but she appears to be reflecting on what they have said.  
Pearl’s smile is conscious, proud, maybe a little guilty. She lowers her head. 

«Yes» she approves. «I couldn’t have said it better». 

Silence follows again, but this time it feels lighter, more relaxed. Yellow blinks away a gleam of tears – and doesn’t she realize, Pearl can now think, how much strength does she have just in not letting does tears fall? – and when she looks up, she’s smiling. Grinning. 

«And you needed two kids to say something as simple as that?» she teases, but her tone seems grateful. «You really are you, White». 

Pearl’s eyes shine. She pushes her playfully and laughs, a laugh full of relief. Blue smiles wide and throws her arms on both their shoulders, pulling them close.  
Steven and Connie, behind them, laugh cheerfully and, from the sound, Pearl supposes they are probably exchanging a high five. 

«Hey» Pearl murmurs, smiling gently. «If you don’t want to fight, that’s fine. I can-»  
«No, I want to try» Yellow replies. «I don’t need to be very strong. I can watch your backs. Not a nice view, but still…» 

Pearl rolls her eyes, but would never dare to complain because she knows how much she can miss Yellow’s remarks. Blue holds them even closer. 

«But no Holo-Pearl» she specifies.  
«No Holo-Pearl» Yellow agrees. «It’s your butt that I want to kick».  
«I’d love to see you try».


End file.
